John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints


Banff, Alberta

Location

Banff is in southwestern Alberta, west of Calgary and southeast of Lake Louise. The town is sited inside Banff National Park.

A fast and highly scenic section of the Trans-Canada Highway connects Calgary and Banff. The entrance to the mountains from the east on this road is magnificent.

Two parallel roads connect Banff and the town of Lake Louise. Highway 1, the Trans-Canada Highway, is the faster route. Highway 1A, the Bow Valley Parkway, provides a slower and more relaxed alternative.

From the town of Lake Louise the Icefields Parkway heads northwest to Jasper, Alberta and the Trans-Canada Highway heads west over the Kicking Horse Pass through Yoho National Park and past the Spiral Tunnels to Golden, British Columbia. A relatively minor road also leads from the town of Lake Louise to the actual lake of Lake Louise and a spur road goes off this road to Moraine Lake.

Description

The Canadian Rockies surrounding the town of Banff are both majestic and magnificent.

However, we found the actual town of Banff to be rather less than pleasant. Parking is often difficult and traffic is often congested. The shops in the town are mainly aimed at tourists and their prices tend to be high, as do accommodation rates and the prices in restaurants.

This is only my own opinion of Banff and if anyone would like to offer a more positive alternative description then I would be very happy to include it (or a link to it) on this page in order to provide a balanced view.

The town of Canmore, some ten miles east of Banff, is well worth considering as an alternative.

Another View Of Banff

For an alternative view on Banff, visit Digital Banff, which offers useful information about the town for visitors. (External link checked Oct-99.)

In the Area


Alberta

Home | States/Provinces | Subjects


About this personal web site JohnCletheroe

EMail me

Most recently modified 20-Oct-99